ARLINGTON – It doesn’t get much more boring than a fourth preseason game. A gentleman proposed to his girlfriend in the first half. Other than that, there wasn’t much to cheer about for Dallas Cowboys fans Thursday night.

Here are my five thoughts on the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos handing the Cowboys another preseason loss, 27-3, at AT&T Stadium.

1.) Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones sounded certain that defensive tackle Henry Melton would make his preseason debut with the Cowboys Thursday night. Before the game, Jerry Jones said Melton could play a couple series against Denver. But No. 69 didn’t step on the field for one play. The prize of free agency for the Cowboys stood on the sideline without pads. What does this mean? Well, the season opener on Sept. 7 will be the first time Melton plays in a game in nearly a year. The 27-year-old missed most of the 2013 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in Week 3. Melton will play the three-technique position for the Cowboys, the most important spot in Rod Marinelli’s defense. Melton has been dealing with a groin injury. It would’ve been nice to see how he looked for a few plays of live game action in this defensive scheme.

2.) The Cowboys’ starting cornerbacks got a series of work against Denver. Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick each were on the field for an eight-play series that ended in a missed Brandon McManus 52-yard field goal. Carr missed most of training camp to be with his mother, who passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. Scandrick will miss the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

“It felt good to get a couple of plays under my belt,” Carr said. “I feel good going into next week’s home opener. Now it’s time to polish up the finished product and get ready for next Sunday.”

How has the defense come together through the preseason?

“I feel like we have made some progress, but at the same time, it’s still a work in progress,” Carr said. “We did some great things, but we still want to fight to stay consistent, we want to fight to stay relentless every time we step on the field. We are always going to harp on takeaways.”

3.) Brandon Weeden played most of the first half, finishing 6 of 12 passing for 75 yards and an interception. Through four preseason games, Tony Romo’s backup completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 388 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I thought Brandon did some good things,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He had that one interception on that naked where the guy came off the outside receiver and made a play on an out route on one of the inside receivers. Sometimes that’s hard to see. He missed some throws, but he also made some good throws.”

“We did some good things with a lot of young guys in there that are playing positions they may not be familiar with,” Weeden said. “Overall, I thought everyone handled it pretty well. That’s one of the difficult parts of this fourth preseason game.”

4.) LaRon Byrd has been one of the Cowboys’ top five wide receivers throughout training camp and the preseason. He had four catches for a team-high 57 yards Thursday night. Dallas will likely only keep five receivers. But he might be the odd man out. Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Dwayne Harris and fifth-round pick Devin Street are probably ahead of him. If the Cowboys release Byrd, I’d be surprised if another team didn’t scoop him up.

5.) The Cowboys finished the preseason 0-4. Some might say it’s not a big deal, but history says it is. The Cowboys haven’t finished winless in the preseason since 2000. That year, they went 5-11. The Cowboys have their backs against the wall and are facing an uphill battle. Would you be surprised if they had a similar five-win season after what you’ve watched during the preseason?

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